torment
by Gothicragdoll
Summary: 6 is being tormented by the machines, and feeling like he cannot go on. Can a small talk with 9 changes that?


Torment

I started to breathe heavily. It was becoming unbearable, too excruciating to take anymore. Why did it have to be me? Why was I all alone? Why didn't the professor make another one like me? Someone I could talk to about it. Someone who understood. No one else knew what I went through every day.

They, my friends, didn't seem to care. They didn't even try to understand. They see me as a bother. I was just a thorn in their sides. Sometimes I felt like I should leave and never come back. It would make their lives so much easier. They wouldn't have to take care of me anymore. They wouldn't have to risk their lives for me.

I started to shake uncontrollably. "_Go away, go away_." I thought desperately. I paced the room and held my hands trying to clam them. The machines whispered to me. Telling me just how worthless I am. Telling me that my friends never cared at all. That I was a mistake.

"6,_Run away. They don't want you. Come to us. We'll take care of you without complaint. We'll love you…" _

They were trying to lure me to them. I knew they only wanted my soul. I didn't know why they didn't just come and take it from me. It always seemed they did whatever they wanted anyway. It wasn't like they don't know where I am. They always know where I am. I always know where they are.

Worst of all they were always with me. Inside my head. Taunting me, telling me terrible things about me friends, about myself. They tell me about how they were going to kill all us. They try to take over my body with their words. Tempting me to go out on my own.

I know they'd get me if I ever went out on my own. I didn't know why they wanted me so badly. Why they tormented me and plagued my thoughts. Making me wish I would die.

Suddenly I was in the worst pain I ever felt. I tried not to cry out, but I couldn't hold it in anymore. I put my hand over my mouth, but it didn't stop someone form hearing me.

9 came rushing in. "6!" he yelled and ran over to me. I fell to my knees and was gasping for breath.

"_Come to us and then all your suffering will come to an end. It will stop. We can make it stop."_

"No!" I shouted. 9 knelt beside me.

"6, what's wrong?" 9 asked in concern.

"_He doesn't care. He's just like the rest. He'll act like he cares for bit, and then he'll leave you. Just like the rest of them." _

I grabbed 9 and held him close to me. I began to cry. "No. No, you're lying." I said between sobs. "9, won't leave me. My friends won't leave me. They love me."

"_Even if he did really care for you it wouldn't stop him from dying. He'll leave you one way or another. He will soon be ours. It will be slow and he'll suffer greatly…"_

"Stop it!" I yelled. I let go of 9 and jumped up. I stared at 9 and couldn't stand the looking of confusion and concern on 9's face. I stood there for a few moments and soon the voices went away. The machines left me alone.

Nothing was to be heard, but our breathing. I sat back down on the floor. "I'm sorry, 9." I said.

He tried to smile, but I knew that he was still worried, and perhaps even scared of what I had done. "I'm sorry if I scared you." I really hoped I hadn't.

"It's okay. 5 told me you did that sometimes."

I nodded and said nothing. We sat together in silence for a few moments. "What happens to you exactly?"

"What?" I looked at him.

"When you breath heavy, shake uncontrollably, and shout at what seems to me nothing, but it's not nothing is it?" he asked. "I don't know what or who you see, but whatever it is it is very real."

My mouth dropped. No one else had ever made that notion before. When the machines were gone and not tormenting me I knew my friends really did care, but never had they ever seem to believe what I was hearing was real. They must have thought me to be crazy.

9 noticed my reaction. "I'm sorry." He said quickly.

"No, no." I said. I scooted closer to him. I felt nervous. "I don't see anything." I could tell this put him into a panic. "I hear things though. I know it sounds so crazy." He calmed down. "It's the machines. They tell me horrible things. What they want to do to us, how they're going to kill us, and things like that."

9 looked at me and nodded. "Why does that happen to only you?"

I shrugged. "I really don't know. Maybe it's a part of being able to have visions of the past and future. I have intense feelings and can even tell when something is going to happen without having to have visions."

He slowly smiled in awe and amazement. "Wow." He said. "The others must be jealous. I mean that is very helpful and could even help save our lives. They must depend on you a lot."

I stared at him. "So you don't think my gift is useless?" He amazed me. He obviously didn't know that the others could care less for my abilities. I also had to admit I was flattered by his thinking my gift could help us and save our lives. That I had purpose through my gifts.

"No," he shook his head. "Why would I think that?"

I didn't want him to get a poor opinion of the others. I didn't know what to say and looked away from him.

"The machines tell you that." He stated. I looked back at him.

"Yes," I whispered. It was true. I was willing to blame the machines completely for asking 9 if he thought my gift to be useless.

9 looked down. "It must be terrible to have such an amazing gift that comes at a price like that." He said. He looked at me again with sadness in his eyes. "I wish there was something I could do to help you."

He really was putting me to shame. I felt bad for the things I felt when the machines talked to me. I felt bad for thinking anything bad about 9. I was also ashamed that I had thought my gift was useless. Sure it was a curse at times, but as time progressed that was all I thought it was. 9 was so sure that I had a purpose. He was so sure that my amazing gift would help save us all.

I hugged him again. He put his arms around me and I squeezed him tightly. I never wanted to let go, but I finally did. "9, all the suffering, all the tormenting words whispered to me is worth it." I wanted to tell him it was all worth it because of him, but I didn't say it aloud. "It's worth knowing when we shouldn't do somewhere, do something, and when we should leave."

He nodded and smiled sweetly. "6, promise me something."

"Anything."

"Whatever the machines say to you, don't ever think that we don't care or don't love you. Whatever the machines say don't dwell on it so much that you become depressed. Whatever the machines say just don't believe them. We'll get through this. We'll be okay."

I nodded. "I promise." I know it will be hard, but I know I can do it. I suddenly felt stronger. I felt like I could do anything, that I had a purpose, and that I was loved. For the first time in so long I felt loved. I didn't feel worthless and just a thorn in someone's side. I wish there was some way I could tell 9 what he did for me. I wish there was a way I could repay him.

"9!" We both jumped when we heard 5 shout his name. He came in the room and looked at us. "I'm not interrupting am I?"

"No," I said.

He nodded. "9, do you want to come help me look for some stuff in the emptiness. I'm running low on wires and stuff."

9 looked at me. "Go." I said. He slowly stood up. I stopped him before he and 5 left. "9, thank you." I said in a voice which I felt sounded really needy, but I didn't care. I didn't think he'd care.

"No problem." He smiled. I watched as he and 5 left. I sat and stared at the floor for a second. After awhile I got up and grabbed some paper and some ink and started to draw.


End file.
